Awelye (Women's Ceremony) for Ahakeye (Bush Plum), Alpar (Rat-tail Plant) and Ntang Artety (Mulga Seed) MB054376-Alvira Bird Mpetyane

Acrylic on Canvas
90 x 90cm
Year Painted


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The linear designs in Alvira's painting represent Awelye (Women's Ceremony and Body Paint Designs) for Ahakeye, Alpar and Ntang Artety. These designs are painted onto the chest, breasts, arms and thighs. Powders ground from red and yellow ochre (clays), charcoal and ash are used as body paint and applied with a flat stick with soft padding. The women sing the songs associated with their Awelye as each woman takes her turn to be 'painted-up'.

In this painting, Alvira's use of black dots symbolizes the ahakeye when they are ripe and ready to be collected. White dots represent the seeds of Alpar. Yellow dots represent ntang artety.

Ahakeye, called bush plum in English by Alvira, is also known as the native currant or citrus. It belongs to the canthium attenuatum shrub which grows about 3m high. This shrub produces small white flowers, deep green citrus-like leaves and the ahakeye which are black when ripe and very small. This fruit is favoured for its sweet taste and can be reconstituted in water if dry.


Ntang means seed in Alvira's language, and Artety is the word for Mulga Tree. This is a very important story for Alvira that belongs to her country, Ilkawerne. The mulga seeds are an important plant food throughout Central Australia, usually available to collect for several months of the year. The seeds are collected from the tree or ground if fallen, cleaned, lightly roasted and then ground into a paste before being consumed. The seeds taste similar to peanut butter and are highly nutritious.
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Mbantua Alice Gallery